This is not the first time Medvedev has been the central character on an entertaining night in New York.
On his way to reaching the 2019 final, the he assumed the role of pantomime villain as he wound up the American fans.
He was booed for trolling the crowd with his provocative post-match celebrations and interviews, before winning them over with a heroic performance in a five-set defeat by Rafael Nadal in the final.
Two years later, Medvedev received their acclaim after beating Novak Djokovic to win his first major title – and celebrating with a comedic fall to the court inspired by a computer game.
In 2023, he argued with some supporters in a late-night battle against Australia’s Chris O’Connell – but this time Medvedev ensured the crowd was behind him in an attempt to turn the match around against Bonzi.
Medvedev recently opened up about his on-court antics in an enlightening interview with BBC Sport, describing his outbursts as like “honking a car horn”.
But his reaction to losing in the first round of a Grand Slam for the third time in a row was a concerning sight.
Instead of making a quick exit, Medvedev sat disconsolately on his chair before destroying a racquet by repeatedly smashing it against the metal bench holding his racquet bag.
The six-time Grand Slam finalist broke down in tears and stayed sat as Bonzi began his on-court interview.
Afterwards Medvedev, who looks set to drop out of the world’s top 20, said he felt during the match he wanted to “finish his career”.
Asked if it was the end, he replied: “Not today, but when I’m finishing my career, you never know where you want to do it. Today I was, like, ‘this could be a nice place to do it’.”
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